Undefeated
by the-elite
Summary: What would Draco do if he was forced to like a particular Mudblood? Read to find out! The 1st and 2nd chaps are basically introductions, so go straight to chap3 for some plot!
1. The Beginning of Another Year

Chapter 1:

 "Get up!" Aunt Petunia screamed. Harry crawled out of bed and wedged his glasses between his nose, handling it carefully as the Sellotape was coming apart. Quickly getting dressed into baggy clothes which fitted him poorly, he walked down the stairs slowly. At that very moment Dudley pounded down the stairs, shoving Harry hard. 

"Move your arse," He said, each step sending his folds of flabs quivering. Down at the kitchen, Harry spotted Uncle Vernon, his fat face hidden behind the crinkled newspaper. Aunt Petunia was frying bacon and eggs as usual- the same meal Harry had for sixteen years; not including the short period of time in which Dudley had been on a diet. As soon as she saw Dudley she shot Harry a glance, indicating for him to look after the cooking. 

"How is my darling Dudley?" Aunt Petunia greeted her seriously overweight son. 

"Where's my breakfast?" Dudley demanded, his beady eyes scanning the kitchen table.

"Nearly ready, dear," Aunt Petunia answered, semi-hugging Dudley as her thin arms could only embrace half of his porky figure.

Satisfied, Dudley slumped onto one of the chairs and gazed at the TV. Uncle Vernon lowered his newspaper so that it was level with his small eyes. He watched his massive son gobble down every inch of bacon and eggs Harry just set down on the table, before setting down his newspaper and seating himself next to Dudley. 

"How's my little tyke doing, aih?" He asked, his mouth full of eggs. Without answering, Dudley continued to fill his mouth with food. Smiling and shaking his head, Uncle Vernon forked his fat bacon pieces. It was strange how the family communicated in the Dursleys' household. As soon as Harry finished his eggs, he headed upstairs to collect his belongings before the Weasleys came and picked him up. 

He had missed Hogwarts dearly, all his friends, the giant castle, the ghosts, and especially the magic. During the holidays, Ron and Hermione had sent Harry letters, and the occasional sweets or two, to keep him amused. Recollecting all his possessions from under the loose floorboard and using the picklock that Sirius had given him to get his school stuff from the cupboard under the stairs, he headed downstairs, waiting for the Weasleys' to come pick him up. Hedwig, though caged, hooted happily about in its confinement. Uncle Vernon appeared from the bathroom, his moustache neatly trimmed.

 "What are you standing about for?" He growled.

"I'm waiting for the Weasleys," Harry replied. He saw Uncle Vernon's face steadily grow red.

"_Those._" He whispered, his beetle like eyes blinking. The mention of the Weasleys in their home again brought instant anger to him- as what happened the last time the Weasley's dropped by was still not forgotten.

 "Just a reminder, boy- any funny business this time; such as destroying large chunks of _my property; will result you with no roof over that head of yours. You tell your red-headed friends that too." _

"I will, Uncle Vernon." Harry mumbled. He saw Uncle Vernon's beetle like eyes blink furiously. 

"Keep in mind, boy… _one _wave of that stick you abnormal animals hold, and you're gone." With that, he whipped around and headed to get changed. Harry sighed. As he waited patiently for the Weasleys' to pick him up, his eyes glanced around the living room. He could see the immense damage done by the Weasleys' last visit- Uncle Vernon had rebuilt the living room himself, taking a total of eight months. 

Ten minutes later, while Harry was sitting in the Living room, Mr. Weasley popped out of green flames coming from the fireplace. Harry jumped but soon smiled as he saw Mr. Weasley. He was wearing the usual long green robes, his head balding. Mr. Weasley smiled warmly and greeted Harry. Obviously, Aunt Petunia had been watching. Soon after, Ron, Fred, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and George all appeared.

 "Hey Harry!" Ron grinned.

 "Ah, you must be Harry's aunty," Mr. Weasley said, smiling. But Aunt Petunia just gulped, and her husband stood behind her, a rifle in his hands. Mr. Weasley suddenly remembered what had happened on his last visit, causing his eyes to dance merrily around the living room. 

"I see you have fixed this? Fine jobs, muggles do." Uncle Vernon flinched, at the word 'muggles'. 

"Harry, ready to go?" Fred asked him. Harry nodded, heaving his trunks along with himself into the fire. Mr. Weasley was going to make another comment, but hearing the clank of Uncle Vernon's rifle, stopped. 

"The Burrow!" Harry shouted, clearly. Within seconds, he was spinning round and round.

*

Mrs. Weasley sighed, and looked at the long list of books and new equipments the children would need this year at Hogwarts. 

"Arthur, you think we can afford all this?" She whispered, concerned. Arthur Weasley scratched his balding head. 

"I'm sure we'll manage, honey. We always managed before," He replied soothingly.

"Of course… we could always use Fred and George's money," Molly Weasley murmured.

"Hmm yeah- look at this, Molly!" Mr. Weasley was not interested in their financial problems, but more into collecting muggle objects. Last year was Fred and George's last year, so now they spent most of their time working on the Joke Shop they prepared to open in Hogsmeade. Once Harry had finished unpacking, he sat down on the edge of his bed. 

"Is Hermione coming this summer?" Harry asked Ron.

"No, not this summer; says she's busy. Maybe we'll bump into her in Diagon Alley." Ron added hopefully.

"Hope so." Harry said. Meanwhile Mrs. Weasley yelled for them to come down for dinner. Hopping downstairs, in a much happier mood now that he wasn't with the Dursleys', Harry sat down next to Ginny- and immediately regretted it. As soon as he sat down, Ginny flushed a dangerous blend of purple and red. 

"H-Hey Harry…" she greeted, smiling awkwardly. Harry glimpsed at her out of the corner of his eye. _Oh my God she's so ugly was his first thought. _

"Hey, Ginny." He replied, equally awkward. Gazing down at his plate, he saw three fried eggs, five fat sausages and a glass of milk next to the plate. Never had he got so much food in his life. Watching the rest of the family chatter and wolf down their dinner, Harry quickly caught up. Harry was seriously provoked as throughout the dinner, Ginny kept flickering glances at him. Ron leaned towards Harry, his mouth full of sausages. 

"Don't worry about Ginny. She's been weird lately. Wouldn't spend a Knut. I guess it's because mom and dad are having financial problems again. Something I get used to." Ron leaned back, stuffing more sausages. Harry nodded while chewing slowly.

 "Come on, Harry. I wanna show you my new poster of the Chudley Cannons in my room." Ron said, draining what was left of his milk. 

They slipped out of the kitchen and headed for Ron's room, following narrow passageways which haven't changed since the last time he visited. As usual, when they reached Ron's room, the peeling paint was still there on the door, the odd shades of oranges also. Ron led Harry eagerly into the room, tugging Harry towards his posters- which were practically around the whole room.

 "Here we are," Ron said proudly, pointing at the moving Quidditch players who were all covered in orange. Harry marvelled at the fine Quidditch players winking and grinning at him. If only one day, he was as good a player as them- maybe even join an International Quidditch Team. Suddenly, Ginny burst into the room, panting heavily. 

"Ron! Pig's got a letter for you-" She stopped abruptly as she noticed Harry standing in the room. Immediately she blushed. 

"You-you want me to give you the letter, Ron?" her voice gradually dropped to a whisper. 

"Who's it from?" Ron asked. Ginny seemed to pay no attention.

"Ginny!" Ron snapped. Ginny's eyes settled on Ron. 

"It's from Hermione." She said, clearing her throat. Harry nodded and looked at Ron. Ron shrugged and led Harry to Ginny's room- where Pig had landed with the letter. They made their way to the third landing, on which Ginny's room lay. The door stood half open, and the Ghoul in the attic banged furiously on the pipes, making Harry jump. Harry was just about to take a step into Ginny's room when she suddenly rushed forwards and blocked his path. 

"Waaaaiiiiit!" She screeched. Harry's eyebrows shot up, clearly showing surprise. 

"Won't be a minute…" She whammed herself into the room and closed the door. From the outside, Ron and Harry could hear tearing of paper, and frantic shuffling. Ron's mouth bent to one side.

 "What's up with her?" He questioned. Harry shrugged, confused himself. Harry inspected the house from a perspective outside Ginny's bedroom. It looked squashy, but cozy. Old copies of Gilderoy Lockhart's books lay scattered on the floor, untouched. 

"Ron, why does your Mom still keep these books?" Harry asked. Ron looked at them with no emotion.

"Ever since she found out he was a fake, we all insisted on disposing of his rubbish. But Mom couldn't find the heart to do it." He shrugged. A moment later the door jerked open, along with a puffed out Ginny.

 "Now-now you can go," she stammered, breathing heavily. Harry and Ron penetrated into the room. Ron's eyes opened so that his eyeballs seemed tiny. 

"Ginny, what'd you do to your room?" Ron looked at Ginny. 

"Nothing." She muttered, forcing a smile. Obviously, she had taken off all the newspaper cuttings of Harry Potter that was stuck to her walls. 

"Pathetic…" Ron mumbled. They stumbled across scattered trunks to get the letter Pig had. Hooting happily, it danced around on Ginny's bed, forcing Ron to seize it in his fist. Harry untied the piece of string that held the letter in place and removed it. He unfolded it and read:

_Dear Ron,_

_Sorry I couldn't make it this summer. I had some business I had to go on about, I really couldn't make it. How's Harry? I hope his scar doesn't hurt or something. Anyway, I'll see you guys at Diagon Alley! _

_Have a nice summer Ron- say hi to everyone for me_

_Hermione_

Harry folded the letter back and placed it on the bed. 

"Looks like we'll be seeing her in Diagon Alley, then- I'm off to bed." Harry made his way out of Ginny's room, aware of Ginny's glassy gaze at him.

"Goo…" Ginny started. Harry turned to her.

"What was that?" He asked politely. Ginny swallowed and she blushed once again, same colour as her hair.

"Goodnight…" She mumbled, forcing a crippled smile. Harry nodded and added 'you too' before heading to bed. As soon as Harry left, Ron picked up the letter from Hermione and read it again. He scanned the parchment over and over, looking at the neat writing. '…Have a nice summer_ Ron' his heart gave a leap. Ron? She must've written that for a reason? Surely, she __could have just said 'Have a nice summer everyone'? Ron grinned happily. Hermione favours him. Shoving the letter into his pocket, he skipped out of Ginny's room, to bed. Ginny eyed his feverish brother and shook her head. _

*

The summer at The Burrow was terrific, though the occasional banging from the ghoul in the attic was at time frustrating. Harry liked the way things were in The Burrow, things happened with magic- something the Dursleys' will never understand. Eventually came the day in which they had to go to Diagon Alley to shop for all the school equipments. 

"Hurry up!" Mr. Weasley rumbled as Ginny, Ron and Harry placed their trunks into the back of the new car the Weasleys' brought. It was an old model, so old that no one knew what brand it was. But that didn't matter. They were going to arrive at Diagon Alley by Floo powder, but found that Percy had used the last of it to visit his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. Placing a spell on the car to enlarge it, Mr. Weasley closed the car's trunk and rounded to the driver's seat. He started up the car and drove forward a few meters. Ron leaned forwards onto the front seats. 

"Dad, can't we just fly?" He complained. Mr. Weasley grinned widely.

"Nope. I'm going to drive today" He announced proudly. Ron rolled his eyes and leaned back. Ginny had purposely sat next to Harry for no apparent reason. Mr. Weasley drove on slowly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. 

"Harry, do you know who made these ingenious machines?" He asked, his eyes looking around the muggle streets- which were full of _ingenious machines. _Along the way, Mr. Weasley bombarded Harry with questions about muggle life. He came across a traffic light, clearly amazed by the red light that was shining. He slowed down the car, getting a better view of the light. 

"Molly dear! Look at these muggle light generators! Fascinating, if I may say so," Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes. Harry, noticing that Mr. Weasley was speeding up- even though the lights were red quickly called out, 

"STOP!" Suddenly Mr. Weasley came to a halt. 

"What's that you say, Harry?" He asked, smiling warmly at him. Harry sighed with relief. Angry horns blasted out from behind Mr. Weasley's car. 

"Ruddy bastard, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" A fat man with tattoos shouted. Mr. Weasley turned pale; clearly shocked at muggle behaviour. He leaned back on his seat breathed out. 

"Fascinating…" He mumbled.

*

They luckily made it to the Leaky Cauldron without any injuries- except for the fact that Mr. Weasley's car had a few dents at the back. They were greeted politely by Tom the bartender, smiling his toothless smile as usual. Silence overcame the Leaky Cauldron once Harry Potter set foot in it. Aware that his scar was showing, Harry tried unsuccessfully to flatten his fringe so that it covered the scar. Wizards held up glasses of Butterbeer when Harry walked pass. Mr. Weasley tapped the right brick to reveal the passageway to Diagon Alley. An archway formed just wide enough for everyone to get through. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went through the archway first, followed by Ginny, Ron and Harry. What they saw before them was a cobble street, which twisted and turned out of sight. On either side of the cobble street was fascinating sight of so many magical shops Harry had grown so used to. Mr. Weasley squinted at the shops. 

"Well, first up, Gringotts." He announced.

Harry fumbled his pockets for his key. At last he handed it to the goblin, who was growing impatient. "Very well, someone will lead you to your vaults." The goblin said, his wrinkled face bent back to weighing a block of gold. 

"Thank you," Mr. Weasley thanked. A goblin name Hooky led them to their vaults. First was the Weasleys'. As the vault swung back, Harry saw how little they had left. About thirty Galleons, twenty Sickles and two Knuts was all that lay in the vault. Mrs. Weasley shook her head sadly, and with one sweep of her hand, scraped all the remaining coins into a brown paper bag. Closing the vault, and moving on to Harry's, Harry was aware of Ginny's flat stare at him. It begun to annoy him at times; but he didn't complain. Ron looked at Ginny, whose eyes were naturally fixed onto Harry. He rolled his eyes. 

When Harry's vault opened up Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went red. It felt foolish to have less money than a sixteen year old. Mounds of gold, silver and bronze lay. Scraping into his paper bag a bit of each, he closed the vault door and tried to hide his bulging paper bag. He caught Mr. Weasley's eye and at once Mr. Weasley smiled sourly. 

Back out onto the streets of Diagon Alley, rapid chattering of witches and wizards hung in the air. As soon as Harry, Ron and Ginny finished buying their school books and equipments, they spotted Hermione, her head pressed against Flourish and Blotts, her mouth open. Ron uncontrollably grinned. 

"Hermione! Over here!" Ron shouted, voice breaking. Hermione spun around, and her mouth snapped shut. 

"Hey Ron, Harry and Ginny!" She shouted happily, running towards them. So she _does _favor me. She says 'Hey _Ron, _Harry and Ginny. _My _name first. 

"Hey Hermione!" Harry greeted. Ginny lingered behind, and muttered a 'hi' only when Hermione came to them. For the rest of their trip at Diagon Alley they hung around drinking Butterbeers and gaping at the newest broomstick; the Dragoness. As they were getting back to meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry spotted Cho Chang. His knees felt weak, his stomach tightening. He resisted the urge to blurt out 'hi' when Hermione nudged him. 

"Mr. Weasley's calling you, Harry." She told him. Jerking his head up, he saw indeed, Mr. Weasley calling to him.

"Well, bye, Hermione. See you at Hogwarts!" He called out. Hermione smiled, and waved her hand goodbye. Ron flushed red.

"Er- Bye, Hermy!" Ron blurted out unclearly. Through the hustle and bustle, Hermione placed a hand behind her ear, indicating she did not hear.

"What was that, Ron?" She asked, shouting over all the noise. Ron swallowed and smiled self-consciously. 

"Nothing Hermione! See you at Hogwarts!" He pronounced 'Hermione' loudly. Soon after, Hermione was gone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led Harry, Ron and Ginny back to the car.

"Come now, get in the car."

**Authors Note: Voila! Sorry if the story's pretty plot less now… It's just an introduction. We promise the plot will thicken up in about chapter 4… **

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Journey to Hogwarts

Chapter 2:

"Checkmate, Harry!" Ron said triumphantly, a wide smile spread on his face. Harry looked at his screaming pieces helplessly. He had to sacrifice one piece or the other. 

"Use him!" A piece shouted impatiently. Harry could tell that Ron was excited about something. He threw up his hands and sat back on the wooden chair. 

"I lose." He said simply. Ron grinned.

"Why are you so happy, Ron?" Harry asked. Ron collected all the chess pieces and placed them one by one back into the chess box. Ron shrugged, still grinning. 

"Come on, Ron. It's very obvious." Harry helped him with the packing and in a minute the chess set was all packed. 

"Nothing really. I'm just happy because I won the chess game." He replied easily. Harry stood up and looked down at Ron unbelievingly. "Well, ok then. Come on, Ron. We'd better start packing for Hogwarts."

*

"Goodbye, Ron!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shouted in unison, standing on platform 9and 3/4. 

"Goodbye Harry, goodbye Ginny!" As the Hogwarts express clattered off Ron poked his head back into the carriage. There they saw Hermione walking towards them, smiling. Ron swallowed. 

"Hello, Ron, Ginny and Harry!" Hermione greeted, taking a seat next to Ginny, who took little notice of Hermione's presence. Ron shifted in his seat. _Cool it. He warned himself. He awkwardly ran one of his hands through his red hair to get Hermione's attention. _

"Ron, you have an awful lot of dandruff, you know. You should probably use this muggle stuff they call 'Head & Shoulders' it really works." Hermione told Ron, who nodded his head quickly. Hermione then offered to put an anti-dandruff spell on him, but he said he didn't mind the dandruff. As the lady with the trolley passed she asked if they'd want anything from the trolley. 

"I'll have some pumpkin pasties and Every Flavor Beans, thank you." Hermione paid the woman twelve Knuts. Harry had bought Bertie Bott's Every Flavor beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, and some Cauldron Cakes. Pity they didn't have any Liquorice Wands or Drooble's Best Blowing Gums. As usual, Ron had brought along soggy sandwiches. Hermione absentmindedly sat next to Ron and offered some sweets. 

"Want one?" She asked. Ron swallowed and felt his fingertips turn cold. 

"O-Okay…" His voice cracked. Hermione looked at him innocently. 

"Something wrong with your throat?" Hermione asked. Ron rubbed his throat and forced a tiny smile. 

"No, of course not- I'm… I'm fine." He cleared his throat. He smiled for one second before reaching for an Every Flavor Bean 

. 

"Thanks…" He muttered. As soon as he chewed it, his face screwed up. He covered his mouth. Hermione laughed at the hilarious expression on his face and so did Harry and Ginny. 

"Diarrhea flavor!" He squeaked out before he swallowed the rest of the sweet. He washed down the flavor with ten cups of water before stating that he needed to use the bathroom. As he moved out of the carriage he bumped into someone.  He mumbled 'sorry' and saw that it was Draco Malfoy, along with his sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle, on either side of him. 

"Watch it, Weasley. I don't want unwashed clothing making contact with mine." Draco smirked, his slicked blonde hair glistening under the sun. Ron's jaws hardened. 

"Fuck off, Malfoy." Ron stammered. Malfoy shook his head. 

"Don't you start using foul language, red head. You forget what class you're in." He shoved Ron aside and strode past Harry's carriage. Ron, red with rage, ran after him and clung onto his neck, without much clear thinking. 

"Get off me, Weasley." Malfoy shouted coldly. At once Harry, Hermione and Ginny rushed out. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Stop that, Ron! You're going to get someone killed!" She yelled at the wild Ron, who was now trying to choke Malfoy. Reluctantly, Ron let go of Malfoy and backed away a few steps. Crabbe and Goyle stood rigidly, baring their teeth. Harry shot an icy look at Malfoy. 

"You'd better fuck off, Malfoy." He warned. Malfoy shifted in his black robes, and sneered. Harry got out his wand. 

"Who do you think you're talking to, Potter?" Malfoy spat, drawing out his wand as well. 

"I'm talking to you, fuckwit. Look at you- having two piles of fat walking beside 

you-" Harry looked at Crabbe and Goyle sharply, "-can't defend yourself, can you?" Malfoy's sneer soon dropped. 

"Piles of fat, Potter? Too bad all you'll see in the mirror is a pile of bones and a bloody scar." Regaining his sneer, he walked off. Harry sighed angrily and looked at his wand. Ginny was flaming. 

"You-….you stink!" Ginny gazed at Harry as she stammered the words out to the back of Malfoy. Hermione watched Malfoy strode back to his carriage before she tore her glance away from him and settled upon Ron. 

"Ron, you shouldn't have done that. Someone could have wind up hurt even before they've reached Hogwarts." Hermione frowned with concern. Ron looked ashamed. 

"You've got a point-" Ron started. 

"Of course I've got a point!" Hermione snapped angrily. Ron swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Hermione looked elsewhere. Ron nodded before he finally headed off to the bathroom; which was his original destination. Harry cleared his throat, aware of the overwhelming silence. He pointed his finger to the change rooms. 

"I-I'll just be changing into my school robes," He told Hermione. 

*

At last the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and all the students aboard the Hogwarts Express scrambled out. 

"Firs' years this way!" called the awfully familiar voice. The gigantic outline of Hagrid was visible at the other end of the platform. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all waved at him but through all the noise and hustle they couldn't talk to him. They made their way to the stagecoaches which were waiting for them to board. Harry was last to climb inside one of the stagecoaches and he was just about to close the door when two other figures emerged. 

"Can I please share this stagecoach with yous? All the others were full," a small witch asked. It was Cho Chang. Harry blushed. 

"Sure," he replied automatically. Then, glancing around at the others, who were sitting uncomfortably in the stuffed carriage added, "If, that's alright with yous." At this, the others nodded and murmured 'okay', though Ginny was more reluctant. About to close the door again, Harry saw a pale hand gripping onto the door. It was Malfoy. Harry frowned. 

"Find your own carriage, Malfoy." Ron spat. Draco ignored Ron and pushed open the door harshly. 

"Trust me, Weasel, this is the last carriage I would sit in." He retorted, seating himself down next to Hermione; the only available seat. Hermione recoiled at once. Cho sat next to Ginny, who looked her over with jealousy. For the rest of the trip to Hogwarts, no one talked much- making the silence unbearable and awkward. There was a great scramble to get out, when, at last, the carriage stopped at the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts.

*

The Great Hall was, as usual, a marvelling sight. This year, the ceiling of the Great Hall was a clear, starry sky. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he felt at home again. Hogwarts was the safest place for him, especially at these times, when Harry was always constantly reminded that Voldemort was still alive, waiting around corners to make him join his dead parents. Harry decided to put all those horrible thoughts aside and enjoy the Feast.

As usual, the nervous first years began to make their way across the hall to get sorted. Harry watched as they settled down, ears straining to hear their name been called. The Sorting Hat was already perched on the three-legged stool and was beginning to sing its song, though this year's song was very different.

_"I may be just a ragged hat,_

_But I am wiser then your average rat,_

_    For I will find your house,_

_Even for the average mouse,_

_I sort the kids,_

_To houses they stay till their mids._

_See what I can do,_

_Believe me the rumors are true,_

_I can really sort,_

_Even in a head of mort,_

_I will see through to the very core,_

_All the things you adore._

_So put me on your head,_

_And you will believe what I had said._

_To Gryffindor goes the brave,_

_All housemates they will save,_

_Keeps the daringness at heart,_

_For they will never part.___

_Hufflepuff__ goes different,_

_Never are they belligerent,_

_Not intimidated by labor,_

_To trust and patience they savor._

_Or in Ravenclaw you settle,_

_As light as a petal,_

_For you are the wisest,_

_Not to say also amongst the nicest,_

_You must be full of brains and wit,_

_For learning is what keeps you fit._

_Or a turning of the tables,_

_Slytherin__ you will be labeled,_

_Those sly, cunning housemates,_

_Will take anything at stake,_

_Attain levels no normal heads can reach, _

_A gift, no one can teach._

_So for the last time,_

_As I finish my new rhyme,_

_Try me- the Sorting Hat,_

_And after you are sorted, you can give me a thankful pat." _

"Anston, Ruby!" Professor McGonagall called out in a clear voice from a yellowish parchment. A brown haired girl with large, round eyes walked up to the stool, shaking slightly as she did so. The Sorting Hat was put on and there was a moment pause before the hat shouted 

"Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw table exploded with cheers and welcomed its new member.

Harry looked around the staff table, searching for new faces. He was relieved to see that the DADA teacher they had last year- Professor Onduri wasn't their DADA teacher this year. Many suspected him of being an Auror, but because he was drunk so often they began to have their doubts. This year, the DADA teacher didn't seem to be seated amongst the staff members.  

"Welcome back to another year of Hogwarts!" Dumbledore greeted. 

"I would like to say a few words before you get started on your delicious feast tonight." Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. 

"First of all, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, as usual. If any student is caught wondering about, they will be dealt with by one of our many staff members. I hope that I have made it clear to you that it is not the safest thing to do, and certainly not the wisest. This year, will be a fairly eventful year, and I must tell you all to take extra care." His eyes flashed behind his spectacles.   

"On a happier note, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. As you all know, Professor Onduri retired last year. This year, the DADA teacher will remain a surprise." Dumbledore smiled. Everyone started guessing and whispering. But it was not a big issue, as most of the teachers were pretty boring.

"Well, that's about it!" Dumbledore exclaimed. 

"Let the feast begin!"

*

Ron shoved another forkful of roast beef into his mouth. He turned to Harry, who was sitting next to him. 

"Mmm- can you pass me the gravy?" Ron asked, bits of food spraying onto the table. Harry nodded and passed the gravy to Ron. 

"Fanks." Once everyone had stuffed as much food as possible, the remaining food faded and the dishes returned to their sparkling clean appearance- as though never touched. Harry, Ron and Hermione joined the streaming Gryffindors' out of the Great Hall. They walked sleepily up staircases and through corridors, hoping to see the portrait of the Fat Lady soon. Along the way, Harry saw a group of Ravenclaw first years gazing amazedly at the moving portraits and ghosts. 

"Alright, this way now," he heard a soft voice said. It turned out to be Cho Chang- the new 'Head Girl', leading the first years to their dormitories. _Should he? _

"You guys go on. I have to do something first," Harry said to Ron and Hermione. They shrugged tiredly and went on their way. 

Harry walked up to Cho, his legs now numb and unstable, palms sweaty.

 "Congratulations, Cho!" Harry stuttered. Cho looked at him and smiled. 

"Oh. Thanks! Think I'll do a good job?" she asked. Harry felt his insides go wonky, and quickly replied,

"I have no doubt." Cho grinned at him. 

"See you around, then. I've got these first years to direct," she said. Harry nodded and stepped aside. For some reason, he wanted to poop. 

"Yeah... well I've gotta catch up to Ron and Hermione. Bye, Cho."

"Bye, Harry!" With that, and a hiccup from Harry, Cho set off around the corner.

*

Ron glanced at Hermione's back once more before they separated into their different dormitories. The four-poster beds lay neat and folded before them. They all pulled on their pyjamas, and slumped into the four-poster beds with the deep red velvet curtains. 

"Night." Ron called sleepily through his curtains. Harry was about to say it back, but he was cut off by Ron's snoring. 

Next Morning, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione all headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ron nervously glanced at Hermione, still conscious about the tiny outburst she had on the train. Ginny quickly switched sides, now alongside Harry. He sighed, clenching and unclenching his teeth. Two minutes after all four sat down, Neville Longbottom dropped into an empty seat beside Hermione. 

"Good Morning, Hermione." He greeted, fumbling with his spoon. Hermione flashed him a smile. 

"Good Morning, Neville. How's your grandmother?" She asked, concerned. Neville shook his head sadly. 

"Nah, she's gone mad. Forgot all the spells she knew, she did." Nodding, Hermione patted him on the back, causing him to blush. 

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Neville. Don't you worry." Hermione smiled with sympathy. The flutter of owls' wings made all the students look up, beaming as their owls dropped them their packages. Not realizing, a heavy package smashed onto Ron's head and bounced into his pumpkin soup. 

"Of all places it could have landed…" He muttered, helping the small package out of the soup. Ripping it open, he saw it was some sweets from Fred and George. Grinning, he unwrapped a sweet and popped it into his mouth. 

"Great thing my brothers still remember me," he beamed at the sweets and offered some to Harry, Ginny and Hermione. 

"I wouldn't touch those. You never know Fred and George." Hermione murmured, eyeing the sweets suspiciously. Ron shook his head. 

"Oh come on, Hermione. What could these teeny weeny sugary delights do?" Sure enough, the sweets looked perfectly innocent. He read the wrapper and grinned. 

"What do you know, Fred and George made them!" He announced happily. Ginny leaned across Harry, reaching for a sweet. Carefully, she made her arm brush against Harry's. Harry swallowed and yanked backwards. Taking one lolly and carefully leaning back, she unwrapped it. 

"These lollies are wicked!" Ron exclaimed, reaching for another. Harry took Ron's wrapper and twisted it around his fingers, reading it as he did so. 

"I must've proved that it isn't poisonous by now. Honestly, Hermione. Here ta- YOOOWW!!!!!!!!" Students from all the tables turned their heads. Ron frantically waved his hands like fans on either side of his face. Hermione grinned triumphantly at the wheezing Ron. 

"I told you not to trust your brothers." She said, giving a small shrug. Ginny immediately dropped her lolly. 

"Hot!!!!!!!" Ron exclaimed, reaching for his wand. Harry wrenched Ron's wand out for him. 

"Watericia!" Ron shouted. Nothing happened. Ron looked frantically at Hermione, who was looking at him calmly.

"Ron, are you sure that's a proper spell; because I have never heard of such. I'm sure I ran across something like that when I was reading a book off the shelf in Flourish and Blotts… I'm sure it was Watricia- from memory-" 

"I don't care Hermione! Just do something!" Ron puffed out. His face was even redder than his flaming hair.

"Watricia!" Hermione called out. Water poured out of the end of her wand and into Ron's mouth. 

*

"Very well, boy." He hissed. 

"I will complete my duty, Master- at whatever cost." 

"You better." 

"I will, Master-" 

"Enough. The sooner you complete it, the better- and more reward you will reap." 

"Yes, Master." 

"Don't just stand there, fool! Go!" The shadowed figure nodded once, and then shuffled away. His eyes glistened. 

"Albus Dumbledore. The Greatest Wizard of all time…" 

*

Professor McGonagall's bulgy eyes threatened to pop out of her square spectacles any moment now. "Finnigan, where is your homework?" She questioned in a very low and dangerous pitch. Harry saw his throat work. 

"I couldn't. I-er - was extremely busy last night, you see. So, I could only do a few questions. I'm-" 

"Quite enough lies for now, Finnigan. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor and a week's detention. Now, where were we up to, class?" 

Seamus nodded grimly and sat back down next to Parvati. Neville shook his head as he continued to scribble down notes. Taking a look at Hermione's work, he clumsily knocked over the ink bottle, sending patches of ink over Hermione's notes. 

"Woooooooops…" Neville whispered guiltily. 

Devastated but not wanting to hurt Neville's feelings, Hermione only uttered a tiny- 

"Oh that's- that's alright." Hermione bit her lower lip to stop the flow of angry words from spurting out. Professor McGonagall strode past their desk, and her lips pursed into a thin line. 

"Longbottom?" She said it more like an accusation then actually asking. Neville gulped, and looked up at the Headmistress. Licking his lips which were dry, he gulped again. 

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. 

"You're saying it to the wrong person, Mr. Longbottom." 

"Huh?" He looked at Hermione. "Ooh. I-I'm so sorry, Hermione." Professor McGonagall nodded briefly. 

"Clearosimo." Professor McGonagall said. Appearing right before Hermione's eyes the dark patches of ink began to fade. Hermione smiled- relieved. 

"Now, class. I expect you all to turn this piece of clothing into an animal of your choice." The lesson continued with Ron throwing occasional suspicious glances at Neville and Hermione's desk. 

As all the students scrambled out of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class Ron caught up with Hermione. 

"Hey." He greeted casually. Hermione looked at him, surprised. 

"Oh hey, Ron. I didn't know it was you. What animal did you end up with? I ended up with a dog." Ron bobbed his head up and down. 

"I-er…ended up with half a pig…" He said uneasily. Hermione laughed as they continued to walk towards DADA. 

"Half a pig? Really?" He caught her eye, and he looked away. 

"Yeah, really. Pretty disgusting to b-" 

"Hey Hermione! Hey Ron!" Neville and Harry greeted them, running to catch up. Ron clenched his jaw. _Damn! They just had to come right now. Ron turned and smiled bitterly. _

"Hey, Harry. Hey, Neville." He said through teeth that were still clenched. Nevertheless, all of them were looking forward to their first DADA lesson with their _mysterious teacher that Dumbledore had refused to tell._

**Author's Note: We know there's not much action going on… But there will be soon! We promise! Probably wondering why it's a 'we'. Well, of course it's cause there are two people making this story! ****J. The first one wants to remain 'unknown', and me..? Well, I'm just me! 'Unknown' doesn't want our identities to be revealed, unfortunately.**

**Apart from that, I hope you guys will keep on posting reviews and just enjoy the story! ****J **


	3. Draco's Lie

Chapter 3: 

Neville and Harry greeted Ron and Hermione before Hermione looked back at Ron. 

"So, are you looking forward to your first DADA lesson with Fleur, Ron?" Hermione asked, a grin beginning to take place.

Ron looked at her, surprised at how Hermione already knew who the new teacher was. 

"Right, so you _still think I like Fleur?" He asked, even though he still had a bit of a crush on her. Hermione smiled._

"Yes." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I don't, not now anyway." He gazed at Hermione, giving her a strong hint. 

"Hey, Hermione." Neville greeted again, cutting Ron and Hermione's conversation.

Hermione set her eyes upon him. 

"Hello Neville." 

"W-we having Fleur as our DADA teacher this year?" He tried to start a conversation.

Hermione nodded and grinned at Neville.

"You like Fleur too?" She asked. Neville blushed and tried to hide his rabbit teeth.

"No." He scratched his eyebrows nervously. 

"I won't be so sure. It's perfectly natural to like her. I've seen how you guys drool over her." Hermione shook her head and quickly Neville agreed. Ron flashed Neville a glance before they all headed towards DADA.

*

Last year, DADA was probably their worst subject, other then Potions, of course. That was because of Professor Onduri. He was thin, pale and many students suspected him of getting himself drunk every night, locked up in one of the classrooms. DADA was meant to be the best subject but Onduri made it extremely boring and his unusual behaviour often made students fear him. 

When the class entered the room this year, a lot of gasps were audible and a lot of muttering heard. The room was covered in silver. It was also a bit dark, as the windows were covered by smooth, long silver curtains. A great, elaborately decorated chandelier hanged above them, radiating a faint, orange light. Around the room hung moving posters of dangerous creatures and different phases of the moon. The annoying habit about the creatures in the posters, were that they loved to growl and howl all the time. The rows of desks and chairs were placed at the centre of the room. Harry looked down at the floor and was surprised that it was also silver, with a few glittery stars just clearly seen. 

Harry quickly chose a seat at the back of the room, Ron and Hermione quickly followed. Neville was seated next to Harry. As Hermione approached he patted the seat next to him softly.

"Sit here, Hermione." He said, beaming at her. Unable to be rude, she sat quietly down. Ron glared at Neville's ugly rabbit teeth, but soon reminded himself that Hermione once had the same teeth.

All the students were buzzing excitedly about their new teacher- Fleur. The class was still talking loudly when Fleur stepped in. The talking dropped to a deathly silent mode. Draco smirked and coughed loudly. Few heads turned to him. She smiled warmly at her new class.

"Good Morning, clazz." She greeted, trying very hard to hide her accent.

All the boys straightened themselves and shifted in their robes. Even though Ron had told Hermione that he hadn't liked Fleur he couldn't help taking a few glances at Fleur's dazzling dress. Fleur was wearing a long, glittery silver dress, with her silvery blonde hair falling over her shoulders. All the girls, including Hermione, pretended not to notice it. Harry could hear Parvati muttering something about wearing _that kind of dress was inappropriate when teaching sixth years. _

"Az you all may know zat I had once zaid- _said _that I waz going to come to 'Ogwarts to teach- improving my English." Fleur began.

Harry could see beads of sweat developing on Neville's forehead and his glassy gaze at Fleur. She caught Neville's eye and smiled. Neville's eyes widened and he clutched onto his seat with white knuckles. 

Throughout the lesson Fleur taught the class how to defend themselves against Wobble-cheeks; which were green balls of fluff that can temporarily paralyze anyone who threatens them. Draco Malfoy seemed like the only person to have trouble with the Wobble-cheeks, as he kept throwing insults at it. Even Ron found the fluffy green balls easy to tame. 

"Wicked!" He whispered as his Wobble-cheek snored softly on his desk. 

Towards the end of the lesson only Hermione, Neville and Draco's Wobble-cheeks weren't tamed. Hermione's kept paralyzing her- making her look like she was moving in slow motion. Neville's kept jumping around on his desk, mocking Neville's slow speed. Draco eventually got so fed up that he started to rip the tufts of soft green fur off it; but in the end even though his Wobble-cheek was all bald, it was tamed and asleep.

The lesson concluded with Fleur locking up all the Wobble-cheeks and saying a few words of comfort to Hermione and Neville. 

"A bit odd that Hermione didn't get it tamed, don't you think?" Ron murmured so that she couldn't hear. Harry nodded. They waited outside for Hermione to join them before heading to the Great Hall. 

"Hey guys." Hermione said shakily as she joined the group with Neville tugging behind them. 

"Hey." Ron and Harry glanced at Hermione's face. Suddenly she burst into tears and clutched her books tighter. Ron breathed out silently and looked at Harry. Draco walked past cursing, with robes scattered with green fur. Ron could be sure Hermione looked up as Malfoy past.

*

The Great Hall was filled with chatters and babbles as they sat down on the Gryffindor table, relieved to fill their stomach after their long and boring lesson. 

Harry dug in on his lunch, when Ginny joined them and sat next to him _again._

"Hi guys!" Ginny greeted. They all mumbled a 'hi' except Hermione, who was eating between sobs. 

"Hey what's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked, inching closer to Harry. Hermione shook her head and answered 'nothing', before Draco Malfoy walked past Gryffindor table holding a polished new Dragoness- the newest broomstick. Ron's mouth fell open.

"Where'd you get _that?" He asked at once, before shutting his mouth._

"Father gave it to me, Weasley. Surely you would have gotten one from _your _father?" Draco smirked. Ron swallowed his mouthful of food.

"Quit showing off, Malfoy." Harry defended. Ginny sought for words.

"Yeah!" Was all she could manage. Draco's sharp glance swept over Hermione and he tossed his broom from one gloved hand to the other. Hermione looked up from her teary face and caught Malfoy's eye. Quickly, he looked away and swallowed nervously. 

"Malfoy leave us alone." Hermione told him quietly. Surprisingly, he nodded and walked away. Ron lifted one eyebrow.

"Bit strange, since when did he listen to you?"

"Be thankful that he's gone now." Harry muttered. Ron took a bite out of his sandwich and nodded. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Ginny cleared her throat. 

"Since you're the new Quidditch captain, Harry," She started, nudging Harry and grinning. 

"When are you going to start training?" She finished, licking her teeth. Harry shivered.

"Hopefully this afternoon if I can get the bookings for the fields before Malfoy." Harry was Gryffindor's Quidditch captain this year, and Draco was Slytherin's. Since Oliver Woods left Ron had been Gryffindor's keeper. Dennis, Colin Creevey and Seamus Finnigan were the new chasers and the two Beaters were two students from the seventh year. Surprisingly, Ron was very good playing as Keeper. 

Ron headed off with Harry to book the fields to practice this afternoon leaving Ginny and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table. Ginny watched Harry's retreating back and sighed before facing back to her friend. Hermione seemed fine now, her flow of tears now just a track down her face. 

"You okay, Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded.

"Alright then, I'd better head back to get my things. I left them in Transfiguration. Bye, Hermione!" With that and a small nod from Hermione, Ginny hopped off her seat and took off. 

*

"I will have more at whatever the cost,Cornelius." Dumbledore demanded. Fudge drained his cup of Butterbeer and licked his lips. 

"You have to understand, Albus, that because of their intensive training, it-"

"I know, Cornelius. I am aware of the time and cost to train the Aurors. But in our position," Dumbledore blinked behind his half-moon spectacles, "We have no other choice." 

"No doubt what we have right now is enough, Albus?" Fudge questioned, his eyebrows raised. Albus fixed a gaze at him.

"Enough? There will be no _enough_ when defeating Voldemort." Cornelius held up both hands when 'Voldemort' was mentioned.

"I'll see what I can do, Albus. But I have my doubts about just how many wizards are willing to give up their lives to work as an Auror. For that, we must give them time to consider." Fudge scratched his right cheek. Dumbledore nodded and clutched his fingers.

"But we must prepare ourselves as much as we can, Cornelius. You can never guess which corner darkness will lurk." Dumbledore breathed out slowly. 

"I expect the students are most alert of our situation?" Fudge asked, fiddling with his empty cup. Dumbledore blinked.

"No. I did not want to alarm them. Besides, Voldemort has not a clue right now. Best we make it stay that way. Younger and less experienced students would tell anything to anybody." Albus lifted his cup of Butterbeer and sipped. 

"Well then, Albus. I best be off. If you detect anything is not going well, you know where to find me." Standing up along with Dumbledore, the two wizards shook hands. Albus smiled.

"You have been of much help to us all, Cornelius." Albus told him. Fudge smiled warmly.       

"I am the Minister. Well then, good evening to you, Albus." 

"You too Cornelius, I have absolute faith in you. Good evening."  Fudge stepped out and with a few steps, vanished. 

*

Snape prowled around the room, watching every student wiggle their quills. He stopped in front of Harry's table.

"Potter, _Floo__ powder is made that way, not __Fleur powder. Funny the ways celebrities think, is it not?" Harry could feel his face grow red. Draco turned around on his chair and smirked, along with Crabbe and Goyle; who were grinning stupidly. _

"Is it not, Potter?" Snape asked again. Harry didn't think Snape would expect an answer, but you never knew Snape.

"Yes Professor Snape." 

Everyone continued their note taking and Hermione's eyes kept flickering towards Draco's slicked blonde hair. Neville was again comfortably seated next to Hermione. Ron twirled his quill around.

"Never mind him, Harry. He's just being a pain in the arse." Harry grinned while writing.

"Five points from Gryffindor. Don't think I can't hear you, Weasley. What do you think ears are for?" Professor Snape spat. The lesson droned on and on. They continued taking down notes and finally the lecture was over. The three friends, Harry, Ron and Hermione all gathered their books and headed for Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. 

"How could Snape hear that? Impossible! I could swear he wasn't listening!" Ron continued to absorb Harry in that subject as Hermione edged her way to Malfoy. Sensing someone behind him, Draco turned around to see Hermione. He grimaced at her.

"What do you want?" Malfoy looked at Hermione. Totally unprepared, Hermione gawked. 

"Nothing- I was just heading to the next lesson." She smiled awkwardly and rapidly hid herself amongst the flow of students. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and continued to walk.

When they got to Hagrid's hut they found the gigantic Hagrid hunched over a moving beast. Pansy Parkinson gave a small gasp. 

"Oh hey class! C'mere, I've gotta show yer all this! C'mon, don't be afraid! They won't hurt a fly!" Hagrid led them all to where he was hunched over. What they saw made them gag. It was what looked like a gigantic slug with six, hairy claws. It had a yellow-white set of pointy teeth and two eyes on either side of its slimy head. Ron heard Hermione gag. Hagrid clipped both his large hands on his waist.

"These, are wha' they call Yurdles. Spanish Yurdles. They ain't dangerous, them. All yer' have ter' learn abou' them is that they like a bit o' light. So, give em' a bit o' light and you'll see you have full control o' them. C'mon, give em' a try. Each student gets one." Once each student had found themselves the smallest one possible, they took out their wands.

"Lumos!" Dean Thomas shouted. At once a beam of light shot from the end of his wand. The Yurdle gave a small yelp that was ten times louder then a dog's and then nodded once. Dean looked at Hagrid, who was watching the other students.

"Um, Hagrid?" He stumbled out. Hagrid looked around and spotted Dean.

"Ah, there yer' have it! Great! Everyone c'mere! Look at wha' Mr. Thomas has done!" Some of the students inched up to look at Dean's creature before heading back to their own, which were now running away. For a large body, the Yurdle ran unpredictably swiftly. 

"Lumos!" Draco bellowed fiercely at his own. The Yurdle uncertainly nodded once and stood waiting for Malfoy's command. Draco watched Hagrid's back, which was bending over Lavender Brown's Yurdle. Smirking, he jerked his head in Hagrid's way.

"Attack him." At once the creature slid itself across the blades of grass and made its way across to Hagrid, baring its teeth. Soon he turned around and spotted the Yurdle.

"OOOOYYYYYYY!" Hagrid roared, waving both his large hands at the Yurdle. Draco grinned madly and watched as Hagrid desperately tried to bluff it away. All the students backed to Hagrid's hut and watched. Hagrid held up a hand above the Yurdle. Its slimy tail curled up and made itself rigid, ready to whip. Hagrid was sweating now.

"Now c'mon, clam down!" He continued to raise his hand above the Yurdle and bring it down slowly to pat its head. But it was very unsuccessful. It continued to snap at Hagrid. 

"Who told yer' ter' do this?" He demanded angrily, his forehead full of sweat. Hermione stepped forward.

"Incendio!" Hermione yelled, pointing her wand at the Yurdle. It withered in the scorching flames and within seconds lie on the ground, puffing. All the indocile Yurdles had escaped by now and Draco stood, fighting down a laugh. Hagrid wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his clothes. 

"Alrigh'! Which one o' yers' did this?" He roared angrily. 

"It was Malfoy!" Parvati screeched at once. Draco jolted his head at Parvati, giving her a cold glare. 

"Liar." He turned to face Hagrid, his blue-grey eyes looking at Hagrid's sweaty forehead. 

"I swear I didn't do anything. Why would I even touch that piece of sh- thing?" Malfoy looked disgustedly at the Yurdles. Hagrid frowned.

"Yer' know damn well you don't have ter' be in contact with em' to make em' do something!" Hagrid growled. Malfoy straightened up. 

"You don't have proof I did it." He said simply. It was true. No one had proof. Hagrid nodded heatedly, knowing very well Malfoy did it. For the rest of the lesson most of the students tried to find the Yurdles which ran away.

That afternoon, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team headed down to the Quidditch fields to practice. Harry and the team had a short prep talk before heading out to the fresh fields. Harry smiled as a cool breeze brushed his face. 

"Alright, let's practice." 

*

"Use her." The hooded figure croaked.

"Yes, Master. I will." 

"I want to know _everything_." 

"Yes, Master."

"Is that all you can say?" 

"Sorry, Master."

"Get your arse out of here." 

"Yes, Master."

*

 It was Saturday, meaning no lessons. The rain outside had only gotten worse; Hermione was in the common room pouring over books and revising notes. Ron, Harry and Ginny were all in the common room just chatting and helping Ginny with her History homework. 

"Nah, Ginny. You won't need to write that," Ron told her, stuffing a Pumpkin Pasty into his mouth. Harry concentrated on the question. 

"I dunno." He said, reaching for a Pumpkin Pasty himself. Ginny glanced from Ron to Harry, unsure. 

"Where was he born? I remember the teacher telling us something about him, but I can't remember," Ginny pondered, her face twisted in concentration. Hermione looked up from her books.

"I couldn't help overhearing you people talking about where he was born. He was born in Minsk, in 1823. I can be absolutely sure I read it in _History of the Famous_." Her head buried itself behind the stack of books again. Ron nodded slowly.

"Thanks." He said. Ginny copied down and thanked her too, before flipping through another book. Hermione stood up and stretched.

"Hey guys, I'm going down to the library, okay?" she informed them. 

"Hmm? What for? Don't you have enough books?" Harry asked. Hermione looked around cautiously.

"Sshh! I'm going down… t-to get a book on Wobble-cheeks." She said, embarrassed.

Harry grinned.

"Wobble-cheeks? Even Neville could tame them!" Harry fought down laughter. 

"Shut up!" She whispered forcefully before she waved a goodbye and headed to the library.

By the time she got there, she was soaking wet. Quickly she muttered a spell and her clothes rinsed themselves. She went in and sat in a quiet corner, flicking through every book. There weren't many people in the library except a few people giggling in another corner of the library. A few moments later the squeak of the door and a tall figure stormed in. 

"Wobble…wiggle…wattle, Wizard…Web…" Hermione muttered. She felt an icy hand grip her shoulder and she jumped, remembering it was a library. She looked around, and spotted Malfoy. 

"Malfoy!" Her voice came out a loud whisper. Draco looked around, embarrassed to see a few first years looking his way. He quickly removed his hand from Hermione's shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, trying to sound tough. Malfoy looked at the book she was clutching. It had a clear heading: _Taming the Wobble-cheek. Hermione, just recovering from the shock, finally realized that her book still lay open. _

"Suppose I asked you the same question." Draco smirked and looked down at her book again. She snapped it shut and replaced it before standing up to face him. 

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine. Alright?" Hermione nodded reluctantly. Draco now looked uneasy. 

"I came down here so, I c-can find you." He started, making no eye contact with her. Hermione felt her heart leap and uncontrollably smiled.

"Why?" She asked. Draco swallowed and he felt like he had a lump in his throat. At last his clear blue-grey eyes looked into Hermione's soft brown eyes. 

"I like you." His voice almost broke and the words echoed through his mind over and over. _I like you? It sounded like what a one year old would say to his grandmother. Hermione felt her skin grow prickly. _

"Oh." Was all she managed to choke out. She sat back down and looked at the ground. Draco lowered himself too and sat opposite her. 

"So…what are _you doing here?" He desperately tried to start another conversation. Hermione smiled timidly._

"I-I'm learning to tame a Wobble-cheek." She smiled and shook her head. 

"I know, I know, I'm too into homework and books. But-" She shrugged "-It's something I enjoy." She looked up at him. 

"Right." Draco never knew how someone could enjoy books and homework.

"How-how do you find doing these thing fascinating?" He asked. Hermione shrugged again.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. I think reading can bring you to places you can't possibly go, you know what I mean?" She said, talking to him as if talking to Harry or Ron. He thought about it. It was true enough. He nodded in agreement.

"So, what do you think Dumbledore's up to this year?" He asked, his piercing blue-grey eyes looking at her. 

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. Draco shrugged.

"Well, the old- Dumbledore has done _something _every year, right? I'm just curious of what he's got in the bag this year." He shrugged again.

**Author's Note: Hmm…. More action now? We hope so…. A bit of awkward Draco/Hermione here, but for the wrong reasons… Keep in mind that Draco does NOT like Hermione. :( **

**Please review! :) **


	4. Dragoness, Divination and Aurors

Chapter 4:

"Guess you're right. He is always doing something. I've heard rumours in Diagon Alley this year that he's planning to build a defensive army. Very big, I suppose. I'm thinking he's doing it to prevent You-Know-Who from making an attack." Why exactly am I telling Draco just because he said he liked me? 

"Hmm." Draco checked the time. 

"Well then. I've got some homework to finish for Transfiguration." He stood up and looked around, squinting. Hermione stood up too, and looked around to make sure no one heard their little conversation. Draco smoothed his hair. 

"See you around." Malfoy said and headed back to the Slytherin common room. 

"Bye then…" Hermione said back, but Draco was already heading out of the library. It was now that the news of this afternoon dawned on her. She sat down, shocked. _Should I tell Ron and Harry? But she thought she'd better not, for this would be the last thing they would want to happen to her. With a sigh she drew out the book that she had replaced moments ago and started reading._

*

Sunday morning, and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville headed down to Hagrid's hut to pay him a visit, and see if he's  recovered from the few bites that the Yurdle gave him. Ron looked at Neville hatefully.

"Ah, Neville, I don't think you should come." He said plainly. Neville looked at him with equal hate.

"And whys that, Ron?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and blinking. Ron felt like punching Neville's rabbit teeth.

"Just cause," 

"That's not an answer," Neville rebelled. Ron looked at his friends for help. Harry shrugged helplessly. He knew Hermione would never do anything to hurt anyone's feelings and so he turned back to Neville.

"I know it isn't. I'm just saying, you know, _we _normally visit Hagrid. _We." Ron bent his mouth to one side again. Neville creased his eyebrows and shrugged._

"So? I'm sure he wouldn't mind having another guest," 

"Neville, like I said, only _we _visit him. Besides, we have some important stuff to discuss with him." Ron looked at Harry and Hermione's face. Neville gave him a rabbit grin.

"Bull crap," Neville continued to walk towards Hagrid's hut. The others followed silently. Ron was angry and hated Neville more then ever. Hermione slowed her pace and walked beside Ron.

"Doesn't matter Ron, it's just a visit to Hagrid's." Ron cracked a smile at Hermione. 

When they finally arrived in front of Hagrid's hut Harry knocked three times. 

"Who's that?" A voice boomed out.

"It's us, Hagrid, and Neville." Ron quickly told Hagrid. Neville didn't take any notice. In a few seconds Hagrid opened the wooden door and Fang came out, licking Hermione's robes. She smiled and patted the drooling dog. 

"Hello! C'min, please. Ah, nevermind the old dog."

The four settled in Hagrid's cozy little hut and watched the crackling fire while Hagrid was busy making them something to eat. 

"So, Hagrid, you good again from the bites the Yurdle gave you?" Harry asked. Hagrid came walking back with a tray filled with chipped cups of tea, and stoat sandwiches. Setting it on the table he sat down too. 

"Ah, it ain't so bad. Nasty lil' things, they can be. I'm alrigh' though. How've yous been?" He asked, gesturing for each to take a sandwich. No one took a sandwich except for Neville, who took an extra large bite at the beginning. Ron looked at Neville; satisfied that he was scrunching up his face at the awful taste. Hermione's mind was elsewhere.

"We've been okay. Though potions have been a pain lately." Harry stated, and sipped his tea. For the rest of the visit they talked about everything from the plain school subjects to cooking Yurdles. 

*

Next morning at breakfast the school was buzzing with talking once again, for the first game of Quidditch this season was going to be held on Wednesday- Gryffindor Vs Slytherin. As the usual swarm of owls swooped in this morning; delivering everyone their packages, the headlines of the morning's Daily Prophet caught Hermione's eye. She nudged Harry, who was eating his bacon.

"Look at this, Harry." She said. Ron poked his head in to get a better view. 

It read:

_Local Witches and Wizards panic as the Dark Mark is seen this morning in __London__.  Wizards from the Ministry of Magic immediately arrived at the scene of the crime only to discover a few drunken, gambling Goblins and a piece of parchment with the word 'Pays' written on it. Fortunately Muggles who saw the Mark considered it to be a mere firework. _

_The Daily Prophet warns all Witches and Wizards to be on their guards at all time; the Dark Lord may be back._

At the bottom of the article was a picture of the shimmering Dark Mark as appeared this morning. Ron gulped and gave Harry a sorry look. Conversation topics around the Great Hall quickly changed from Quidditch to the Dark Mark. Ginny ran over to where Hermione was clutching the Daily Prophet. 

"Oh my God, Harry!" She cried, quivering slightly. Harry forked his bacon.

"I'm alright, aren't I?" He said, shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth and washing it down with some wild berry juice. Ginny was almost wheezing. Hermione shoved over and offered Ginny her seat.

"You ought to calm down, Ginny." Hermione said as Ginny dumped herself in the empty seat. Ron read the article again. 

"Harry, you best be aware." Was all he said. Harry nodded and reached for the jug of wild berry juice. Professor Dumbledore appeared and stood up, waiting for the students to be quiet. He looked concerned about the news.

"Students, I must say that indeed I am in a state of shock. As for the protection of the people in Hogwarts, I have arranged for Aurors to guard our grounds. As much as I hate to say this, but Hogwarts, once again is unsafe." Whispers erupted and Dumbledore's eyes flashed around the Hall.

"This year's trip to Hogsmeade will be cancelled, and no student is to wander about alone. If caught by Filch the school caretaker, fifty points will automatically be deducted from your house." Filch and Mrs. Norris was standing near the doorway, Filch grinning scornfully. 

"For this year's holidays, no one will be allowed to remain at school-" Harry's stomach lurched. Sharing the summer holidays with the Dursleys is bad enough, now he has to spend the Christmas holidays with them too. 

 "Lessons will go about as usual, and students must be in their common rooms by no later than seven. That is all I have to say." Dumbledore finished. Hurriedly he swept out of the Great Hall, ignoring the many questions thrown at him. 

"Aurors?" Some first years exclaimed worriedly. Harry didn't seem that concerned about the Aurors; but the others were, obviously. His friends immediately began telling him to be watchful and cautious, but he just sat down and flipped through the Daily Prophet gloomily.

Ron looked at him. "Don't worry Harry. I'll ask Mum if you can stay with us during the Christmas break. I'm sure she'll say 'yes'" Ron assured him. Harry instantly felt better. 

"And Harry, you should be rreeaallyy careful. Don't go near the Forbidden Forest. I heard there will be lots and lots of Aurors there……" He heard Ginny and a few other Gryffindors blabber on and on about his safety. He decided to ignore the murmurs thrown at him.

"Harry, are you listening to me?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded glumly. The Daily Prophet was filled with articles about the Dark Mark, but a particular advertisement caught his eye.

_Order the new Dragoness today!_

_Are you tired of going to Diagon Alley and trying to find the right broomstick? Well, look no further! You can now order the World's Finest Broomstick to date- the Dragoness. It's yours for only two hundred and twenty galleons! Best price and the best way to buy! Order yours today!_

Harry felt a tinge excitement. But he would have to go to Gringotts and take out his money before he could order it. Sighing, he laid the Daily Prophet on the table. The others were still going on about safety precautions. 

"Guys, I think we should head off to Divination now." He said. The others nodded and waved a goodbye to Ginny as she herself got off her seat and headed off to class. Malfoy walked behind Hermione, Ron and Harry. Hermione sensed someone following her and glanced around. She nearly tripped when she saw it was Draco.

"H-Hey Malfoy," She said, starting to smile. Ron turned around. 

"What are you following us for, Malfoy?" He spat, looking up and down Draco's neat black robes. Malfoy turned to face Ron.

"What's the matter, Weasley? Scared that Voldemort will kill little Potter, leaving you to fend for yourself?" He retorted. Hermione frowned and turned back.

"Piss off, you fuckwit," Ron swore before facing back. Draco's ears turned red with anger. But for Hermione's sake, he didn't say anything more.

Divination was no doubt everyone's least favourite subject. Hermione was attending the lessons again only because it was becoming a more important subject. Professor Trelawney had died last year, killed by a sudden heart attack when foreseeing something in her cup; and it wasn't anything to do with Harry, for once. This year they sat chattering on about the Dark Mark, waiting for their new teacher. 

"Welcome all, my students," A female voice came out from out of the shadows. 

Quietly, the figure stepped out of the shadows and everyone saw a scrawny woman wearing thick glasses and her dark brown hair tied in a bun. She wore a black, woollen dress and a pair of fuzzy brown slippers. Her eyebrows were thick and bushy, her lips a dark shade of red. She looked as if in her fifties. Ron gulped.

"What's with the fuzzy slippers?" He whispered. Suddenly the teacher stared at Ron with her steel coloured eyes.

"I am Professor Qupid. Your new Divination teacher. Questions, anyone?" Her voice was shaky and she walked with dull thumps. No one said anything; as they were too busy trying to stifle their laughter. Professor Qupid furrowed her hairy eyebrows. 

"You, my child." She pointed at Parvati. 

"You bring shame among your family." Neville lightened up- for once it wasn't him. Tears welled up in Parvati's eyes. Qupid stopped in front of Harry. Her eyes were like those of Professor McGonagall's- bulgy. 

"Beware of the Dark Lord this year, my child. He has already sent his Mark…he is determined for your blood…" She gripped Harry's arm. 

"Be brave, my child…" She let go of Harry's arm and continued her pace around the room. Harry didn't exactly believe in all this Divination stuff, and neither did Ron.

"Your Inner Eye must be trained by now…I am sure the late Professor Trelawney must have done so. So, for the rest of this lesson, I want you all to get into pairs, and obtain a crystal ball to see into the future. This term we will be learning much about predicting the future and clearing the fog of your Inner Eye." 

She reminded every one of the students of Professor Trelawney. Ron was a pair with Harry, having failed to be with Hermione because Neville was faster than him. 

"You go first." Ron said.

"Alright then." Harry looked deep into the crystal ball.

Ron meanwhile was spying on Neville and Hermione. Harry began to see an image form in the crystal ball. He gasped when he saw himself holding a Dragoness, but his expression was unhappy. Harry was confused. Why would he be unhappy if he had got a Dragoness? Shaking his head and adjusting his glasses, he elbowed Ron.

"Your turn, Ron." He edged away from the crystal ball to give Ron a turn. Looking deep into the crystal ball, he saw himself with a flaming face and nodding furiously. Ron screwed up his face.

"What the hell?" He said, tapping the crystal ball. 

"What do you see?" Harry asked, cleaning his glasses.

"I-I see myself with a red face, and I'm angry. Bet it's something to do with Malfoy." He concluded, his tone now harsh. Harry bit his lower lip.

 "Well you won't believe what I saw." Harry said. Ron shrugged. 

"What did you see?"

"I saw myself holding onto a Dragoness, I was beaming and stuff, but I wasn't happy…"

Harry looked at his confused friend. 

"Rrright…so you'll have a Dragoness- which will make you really happy but you won't be happy." Professor Qupid walked past their desk, and met Harry's eye, which was watching her fuzzy slippers.

"Potter, I assume?" She whispered. Harry jumped.

"Yep." 

"Wondering why I was wearing these slippers, were you?" She asked, her steel coloured eyes unnerving. Harry swallowed and felt himself turn red.

"No, Professor. I was just wondering about what I saw in the crystal ball." Satisfied, the Professor retreated slowly.

"My dear, what you see in that crystal ball will definitely happen. The owner of the Dragoness, you will be. But how you got it, is unexpected…" In the darkness and the gloom of the room she looked slightly mad. Everyone started looking Harry's way.

"A Dragoness?" The students started whispering. Professor Qupid seemed to forget what she had just said and turned around. Harry put his glasses back on. Ron seemed to look at him with a hint of envy, and everyone else did so too for the remainder of the lesson.

*

"You think Sirius might be giving it to you?" Hermione asked once they came out of Divination. 

"I don't know. I doubt that though, he is still hiding after all." Harry replied. Neville stumbled after them; gripping Hermione's left shoulder on purpose.

"Thought I'd lost you there!" He puffed. Ron lashed around to face Neville.

"Stop following us, Neville." He said coldly. Neville stopped his fake puffing and smirked.

"Why don't _you _stop following _us?" Neville snapped. Ron pretended to be threatened._

"Ever since the start of this year, Neville, _you _have been following _us_. Who knows what the hell you're trying to do." But Ron did know. Hermione cut in.

"Come on, you two! There is no _you _or _us, okay? Honestly!" She walked faster to catch up to Harry. Ron pushed in front of Neville in the swarming crowd. Neville shoved Ron behind. Surprisingly Ron tripped and fell. The bad thing was, it was Malfoy that he fell back on. _

"Turning gay, Weasley? Have no luck with the female kind, is it?" Malfoy smirked, and a bunch of Slytherins started laughing. Ron quickly regained his balance and quickened his pace to get Neville back. 

"Weasley's turned gay!" Malfoy shouted, trailed by a roar of laughter. Ignoring them, Ron spotted Neville. 

"Neville." He said. 

Naturally, he turned around. All he saw was a fist punch him in the nose before he staggered backwards and fell to the ground.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked, covering his nose. But Ron was fuming. Was this what he had seen in the crystal ball? No. Ron stepped past him to History. 

Ron arrived late, but Professor Binns didn't seem to mind. 

"Oh never mind coming late to class, after all, I am only a ghost." Ron gave him a look and sat down quickly next to Hermione. She looked at Ron's face. He was red to his neck, and his expression was grim. 

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned. 

"Huh? Had a little trouble with Neville, and gave him a punch on the nose." He didn't look at her. Hermione's worry for Ron soon turned to Neville. 

"You _what_?" But Ron ignored her, and continued to listen to Professor Binns drone on and on about the history of The Silver Egg- a magical egg laid by some dragon in Bulgaria. 

"Ron, look at me." She said quietly. 

"I punched him because he shoved me onto the floor and onto Malfoy, okay?" He told her sternly, without looking at her. 

Seeing that Ron was in a rage, she just nodded and kept her mouth shut. A minute later Neville burst into class and slouched into a seat next to Lavender. Professor Binns didn't take any notice of the boy who just burst into the classroom with a red nose. Hermione took a quick glance at Neville and she saw that his normally neat hair was now shriveled, and his nose was turning purple. 

"So, the Silver Egg was laid in Africa. Then came along Mr. Toody…" Professor Binns spoke without expression and half the class was practically asleep. Neville made an irritating noise when he breathed in and out. Lavender sighed heavily. 

"Please, turn to page 59 of your book. There is the picture of the Silver Egg, and there are the questions. Please begin." The whole class groaned and complained. 

"Looks like Professor Binns is in a major depression…" Harry muttered to Hermione.

Everyone picked up their quill and began answering the questions one by one. Except Neville. Professor Binns hovered around the room in a dispirited frame of mind. Spotting Neville, he cleared his throat loudly. Yet he took no notice.

"If I may ask, Mr. Longbottom, why aren't you completing the task I set you to do?" He asked coldly. Neville pointed to his nose.

"Pain." He said simply. Professor Binns set both transparent hands on either side of Neville's desk.

"You know what's _pain_, boy?" He hissed. 

"N-no Professor." Professor Binns nodded slowly.

"Well I'll tell you, Mr. Longbottom. Pain, is when you fall asleep in a classroom and the next day, when you wake up, you find yourself dead!" He spat, his eyes showing possible signs of tears. The rest of the lesson was done in utter silence before they were dismissed.

*

That night, up in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione tried getting Ron and Neville to make up.

"Forget it, Hermione." Harry insisted, watching spit fly from Ron's mouth as he continued to fight with Neville, who was covered in spit. Hermione sighed. 

"Stop that! You two are just being like Malfoy," memories of what happened in the library were very vivid, and she still was confused by what he had said. _Why did he said he like me?_

"He made me fall onto_ Malfoy_!" Ron screamed. 

"Yeah, but I didn't know!" Neville defended. 

Harry patted Hermione's shoulder before he slumped into a chair and watched the argument helplessly. Hermione walked to the window and what she saw made her feel intimidated. At least twenty Aurors were being directed to guard the Forbidden Forest by Professor Dumbledore, who was gesturing them each a position. 

"Harry, look! Dumbledore's arranging for the Aurors to guard the school!" She said to Harry. At least the news that Hermione gave Harry put a stop to Ron and Neville's argument. 

"So Vol- You-Know-Who must be near…" Harry murmured. 

Sure enough, about twenty Aurors were taking their places in the Forbidden Forest. 

Ron edged forward to get a closer look. 

"Wicked, I've never seen so many Aurors!" He said. Hermione looked puzzled.

"I don't think normally the Ministry of Magic would keep so many Aurors. I think it's because the Dark Mark must've frightened the Ministry, and so their getting more and more Aurors." Soon they headed out of the Common room and down to the Great Hall.

*

The food was great, as usual, but tonight the Hall seemed drained of life. No one talked much, as Aurors stood at each corner of the Great Hall, watching intently for any weird happenings. Dumbledore was aware of the unusual silence too, and so was every other staff member. The candles which floated above the long tables seemed dull tonight, and the enchanted ceiling showed a cloudy night, promising more rain. 

"Why so glum, fickly first-years?" Peeves teased, pulling faces at the first year students who seemed terrified of the Aurors. 

"Peeves, I wish you will not intimidate the first years." Dumbledore said. The ghost pulled a sad face at the Headmaster. 

"You don't want the Bloody Baron around, do you?" Cho Chang threatened.

Draco Malfoy wasn't listening to what Peeves was up to, but instead he was thinking of his encounter with Hermione back in the library. Poking a forkful of treacle tart into his mouth he began to relive the conversation they had. 

"Pass me the trifle, will you?" Pansy asked him. She looked at him when he didn't respond.

"Hello? I asked you to pass me the trifle?" She raised her voice. Malfoy then looked at her. 

"You have two hands," Malfoy said before resuming his eating of the treacle tart on his dish. 

"You have two hands too Draco, and apparently, your two hands are closer to the trifle then mine!" Pansy snapped. Draco tapped Crabbe on the arm and he immediately passed Pansy the trifle with his porky fingers.

"Urgh, look at your fingers." She cried as she grabbed the plate of trifle off him, leaving Crabbe studying his fingers.

**Author's Note: *gasp* A new Divination teacher? A Dragoness? And what's happening with Draco and Hermione? We'll keep you posted… Meanwhile, please REVIEW… We've got the first Quidditch Match in the next chapter!******


	5. Gryffindor Vs Slytherin

Chapter 5:
    
     It was a rainy Wednesday afternoon in which the first game of Quidditch this
    
    year was to be held. Crowds were already seated around the Quidditch pitch
    
    eagerly waiting for the players to come out. 
    
    It was raining heavily this morning but luckily as the Quidditch match drew
    
    closer the rain subdued. In the changing rooms the Gryffindor players were
    
    changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes and the Slytherin team were changing
    
    into their green Quidditch robes. 
    
    Harry rubbed his hands together.
    
    "Today is the day we show those Slytherins what we're made of!" Harry said
    
    enthusiastically. The rest of the Gryffindor team cheered. Harry ran through his
    
    strategy once more before heading out with the team, out into the open crowds.
    
    Dean was this year's commentator and Professor McGonagall was standing by his
    
    side, making sure he didn't end up commentating like Lee Jordan did.
    
    "Here, we have Gryffindor's team!" Dean stuttered with his unusual booming voice
    
    that he had to get used to. Harry led his team out onto the fresh Quidditch
    
    pitch, gripping onto his Firebolt tightly. He saw Hermione sitting with Ginny,
    
    Parvati and a few girls from fifth year; no doubt Ginny's friends. Harry waved
    
    to them before focusing on the game. 
    
    For this game, Madam Hooch was refereeing, standing out in the middle of the
    
    pitch as usual, waiting for the two teams.
    
    "And here we have Slytherin's team!" Dean started to ease as he grew more used
    
    to his voice. 
    
    The Slytherin team poured out, receiving cheers from their house. Malfoy, with
    
    his pale face and glossy blonde hair held his Dragoness easily, its polished tip
    
    shining even though there was no sun this morning. Ron was holding a Shooting
    
    Star, and was embarrassed, seeing Malfoy's Dragoness. He could have sworn he saw
    
    Draco dart a glimpse at Hermione. 
    
    Harry narrowed his eyes hatefully as he looked at Draco, who was calm as usual. 
    
    "Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered. Calmly, Draco stepped forward and
    
    shook Harry's hand.
    
    "Mount your brooms please." Madam Hooch began. Each and every player from both
    
    teams mounted their brooms obediently. Here on the pitch Harry could clearly see
    
    a few Aurors standing around the oval Quidditch field. The blast from Madam
    
    Hooch's whistle brought him back to reality. 
    
    "O-okay, um Slytherin chaser gets hold of Quaffle first- throws to chaser Pansy-
    
    who fails to catch it- Gryffindor chaser Colin Creevy gains Quaffle and throws
    
    to younger brother Dennis, who swerves around Beater Goyle- wrong move! Dennis
    
    is hit on the back by a bludger sent by Goyle; Quaffle is now in the hands of
    
    Warrington- who almost clashes with bludgers sent by Gryffindor team, whizzes
    
    past Seamus's unsuccessful snatch at the Quaffle and is facing Ronald Weasley-
    
    Gryffindor keeper." 
    
    On the field, Warrington was facing Ron, who was determined to guard his hoops.
    
    Sensing that Warrington was about to throw the Quaffle into the left hoop, Ron
    
    flung himself infront of the hoop- only to discover that Warrington threw the
    
    Quaffle to Montague, the other Slytherin chaser who scored in the right-hand
    
    side hoop. 
    
    "AND MONTAGUE SCORES FOR SLYTHERIN!" Dean Thomas bellowed unhappily. Cheers erupted from the Slytherin side and that was when Harry spots the snitch. Seeing that Malfoy was busy grinning at Slytherin's team, Harry made a mad dash for it, praying that Draco wouldn't notice. 
    
    Unfortunately, Dean shouted something like- 'Harry Potter may have seen the
    
    snitch!' and that was all Malfoy needed to hear before he looked in the
    
    direction Harry was facing, and raced down to get the snitch before him. The
    
    Dragoness was at least five times faster than the Firebolt and within seconds
    
    Malfoy was neck to neck with Harry. Reaching out one gloved hand, Draco tried to
    
    seize the snitch. It flew further, and Malfoy sped up. 
    
    "Come on, come on!" Harry mumbled, hoping that his broom was fast enough. 
    
    "Your Firebolt is no match with my Dragoness, Potter!" Draco shouted infront
    
    without losing eye contact with the snitch. His fingertips were now touching the
    
    wings of the snitch and Draco grinned broadly.
    
    "Suffer, Potter! Watch me rip every smile off every dweeb that is in Gryffindor
    
    and-" 
    
    SMACK. 
    
    Malfoy was cut short by a bludger that hit his jaw and at once he fell from his
    
    broom and onto the green grass with a thump. 
    
    "So much for the Dragoness." Harry muttered before he soared ahead.
    
    Crowds gasped and some screamed. Harry continued to speed ahead, but found that
    
    he had lost sight of the snitch. 
    
    Pansy sped up to Madam Hooch on her Nimbus 2001. She was much paler than usual
    
    and she had a concerned look on her face.
    
    "Madam Hooch! Can we please ask for time out? Our seeker's knocked out by a
    
    bludger!" She cried. Madam Hooch shook her head.
    
    "Only a Captain may ask for time out. As for Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure he'll come
    
    around." She assured her. Pansy turned around angrily and flew back high into
    
    the air.
    
    For a second Harry saw the snitch again, but it disappeared just as fast.
    
    Concentrating, He flew around, searching for the snitch through his glasses,
    
    which were beginning to get fogged up. Pansy dodged past Harry and ignored the
    
    Quaffle that was being thrown to her by Warrington. She hovered just above the
    
    unconscious Malfoy and she gulped.
    
    "Draco? Can you hear me?" She held out her hand.
    
    "Draco, squeeze my hand if you could hear me!" She ordered, fearing that he
    
    might have a broken jaw or something. To her relief, he stirred slightly and
    
    opened one eye. 
    
    "I don't squeeze people's hands," he muttered, half his mouth buried in the
    
    grass. With as little help from Pansy as possible, Malfoy mounted his broom, one
    
    gloved hand rubbing his jaw.
    
    "And the Slytherin seeker, Draco Malfoy remounts his broom and is back in
    
    action!" Dean bellowed. The Slytherin crowd cheered as they saw their seeker fly
    
    on his broom again. Gryffindor was finally getting even with Slytherin's score,
    
    with seventy points to ninety, Slytherin's way. 
    
    Although Dennis was preoccupied with catching and throwing quaffles, he caught
    
    sight of the snitch, which was flying lazily near where the Ravenclaw crowd sat. 
    
    "Harry! Snitch!" He pointed to Ravenclaw's direction. Harry jerked awake
    
    suddenly and made a blind dart towards Ravenclaw's crowds. He scanned the area
    
    but saw no snitch. Suddenly the crowds were pointing and gaping to his left.
    
    Harry felt a stab of fear when he saw Malfoy chasing the snitch. 
    
    "Shit, shit, shit!" He whispered as he saw Malfoy closing in on the snitch. 
    
    "Heads!" Someone shouted from behind. Harry went along with his first instinct
    
    and ducked. As for Malfoy, his first instinct was to catch the snitch. Wrapping
    
    his hand around the cold, golden snitch, Draco had no idea that a solid, black
    
    bludger was going to forever ruin half his brain tissues. 
    
    "Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch. Give yourself a pat on the back." Dean
    
    added sarcastically, receiving a look of warning from Professor McGonagall. Dean
    
    smiled awkwardly at her and immediately the crowds gasped and a buzz of chatter
    
    erupted. Dean swallowed once he saw what had just happened.
    
    Malfoy had been hit by a bludger that plummeted for his head. For the second
    
    time, he fell onto the grass, unconscious. From the crowds whom were bending for
    
    a better look, Hermione covered her mouth with both her hands. 
    
    "That bludger did look promising, didn't it?" Parvati said, nudging Hermione.
    
    But when she didn't take any notice, Parvati rolled her eyes. Hermione was
    
    obviously absorbed in Draco's safety. 
    
    Madam Hooch blew her whistle and walked towards the center of the field.
    
    "Slytherin has won this match, seventy to two hundred and forty." She conjured a
    
    stretcher to carry Malfoy to the hospital wing, and Crabbe took the Dragoness
    
    back to the Slytherin common room. 
    
    *
    
    "The boy?" He hissed.
    
    "Sorry Master, he couldn't make it." 
    
    "A lie." 
    
    "No, Master. It will be a while before he is well again." 
    
    "A lie!" 
    
    "I wouldn't dare, Master."
    
    "Bring the boy to me!" 
    
    "Aurors, Master." 
    
    "Aurors are nothing," 
    
    "Yes, Master."
    
    "Then bring him to me!" He roared.
    
    "He has had an accident, Master." Wormtail said shakily.
    
    "I will get him later, then."
    
    "Of course, Master." 
    
    "See to my Death Eaters." 
    
    "I will at once, Master." He trotted off into the dark opening.
    
    *
    
    Harry slumped out of the change rooms gloomily. Even though Malfoy probably had
    
    inevitable brain damage, losing a Quidditch match that badly was almost as bad.
    
    Ron patted Harry's shoulder.
    
    "Cheer up, Harry. It's only because he's got a Dragoness." He tried, but Harry
    
    just shook his head.
    
    "Gryffindor was catching up to Slytherin already- before I failed to see the
    
    snitch through x2 vision." He flicked his glasses miserably.
    
    "Ah well, that madwoman Professor Qupid did say you were gonna get a Dragoness!
    
    That's something to look forward to, at least." He smiled sadly. He was using
    
    one of the school brooms, naturally.
    
    "I'll give you my Firebolt if you like." Harry started. Ron's eyes lightened up.
    
    "Wicked! You think I could? You know, use your Firebolt?" Harry nodded. For the
    
    rest of the trip back to the common room, Ron talked about nothing but the
    
    Firebolt.
    
    "Thanks again, Harry." Ron thanked. Harry grinned.
    
    "It's nothing, Ron. Really." Ron became the slightest red. He knew he had

nothing to give to Harry in return, except maybe-
    
    "You could stay at The Burrow if you like- you know, for the holidays," Ron
    
    offered. This time Harry lit up.
    
    "Yeah, I'd like that- way better than staying with the Dursleys."
    
    Ron suddenly looked around the common room.
    
    "Hey where's Hermione?" He asked, looking past Harry's shoulder.
    
    "Think she said she was going down to the library to get some books for her
    
    homework." Harry said, shrugging. They both looked over at where Hermione had
    
    been studying previously. The table was piled with books and pieces of
    
    Parchment. 
    
    "Or maybe to get something else," Harry shrugged again and took a seat near the
    
    crackling fireplace. All of a sudden Ron looked shrewd. 

"You know, Harry. I think Hermione's hiding something from us." He said, stroking his chin. At that very moment Neville stumbled across the common room. Ron stroked his chin more fiercely. Harry looked at his friend. He had been thinking the exact same thing. Hermione was acting all weird these days and kept going to the library. The portrait swung open and in poured all the Gryffindor Quidditch players. Harry looked at each of them apologetically. 

"Sorry I stuffed up…" He brushed imaginary dust off his robes. Seamus cracked a smile. 

"We'll win them back, Harry! You're the greatest Quidditch Captain!" He clapped Harry's back. 

"I wish I was."                                                                 

*

Hermione walked quickly towards the Hospital wing, hoping that no one will spot her, for Dumbledore specifically told no one to wander around alone. As she pushed open the doors of the Hospital wing, she felt an icy hand grip her shoulder. She let out a surprised cry. 

"What do you think you are doing, Granger? Wondering around alone," Snape asked, his mouth curling into an unpleasant sneer. 

"I- I'm visiting someone…" She croaked. Snape shot up both his eyebrows. 

"Oh? Whom, may I ask?" It would come out to be heard as a lie if she said she was 

visiting Draco. 

"No one really…" She lied, hopefully looking as innocent as possible. Looking triumphant, Snape's sneer grew more radiant. 

"Very well then, Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for hoping no teacher will catch you and fifty points for planting your head at the wrong places at the wrong time. And good afternoon." Without waiting for a reply he flung around and continued roaming the school. She waited for Snape to round a corner before she let herself into the Hospital wing to see Malfoy. 

Madam Pomfrey just finished bandaging Malfoy's head when Hermione ran up to his bed. 

"Is he going to be okay? Is he?" Hermione demanded. Madam Pomfrey nodded before taking the rest of the bandages away. 

"Draco? Draco, can you hear me?" She looked at his slightly swollen jaw, then his heavily bandaged head and regretted it as helpless tears welled up in her eyes. She just sat next to Draco, just watching him, and for the first time in her life she felt helpless. No books were going to help her now. 

She felt guilty about telling Harry that she was going to the library and she couldn't stop worrying that what if they went down to search for her, and discover that she wasn't there? Sighing, she stared at Draco. For an instant she thought Draco looked extremely girly, his hair slicked back and lying feebly on the Hospital bed, but quickly cursed herself for thinking such thoughts when he could have mental problems right now. Another thought came to her mind. 

Why did he say that he liked me that day in the Library? Why so sudden? That was what Hermione had been trying to figure out. Why the hell would someone who hated her for six long years sudden go 'I like you'? It was puzzling. 

*

At dinner, Hermione arrived, looking glum. She had paid a visit to an unconscious Draco for a costly price- sixty points from Gryffindor. Dropping into a seat next to Ginny, she picked up her fork. Ron looked ashamed for not saving her a seat earlier. 

"So where have you been, exactly?" Ron asked. Hermione began to chew slowly on a pork chop. 

"Didn't Harry tell you? I was at the library," Visions of Harry and Ron invading the library to find her made her choke. Harry looked at her. 

"Are you alright?" He asked, sensing she'd been doing much more than just going to the library. Hermione nodded quickly. Neville was sitting at the other end of the table, and glaring at Ron. Ron shot him a nasty glance. 

"Hermione, you know, we think you've somehow changed in the past few weeks, if you know what I mean…" Ron swallowed nervously. 

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm still feeding myself books, checking all your homework, aren't I?" She said back. Ron flushed to the roots of his hair. 

"Er- no, Hermione, I didn't mean it that way. You know, you hang around the library all the time now, and you hardly talk and stuff," Ron felt he no longer had the appetite he had come to dinner with. Hermione shrugged. 

"I'm just a bit preoccupied with homework, you know, that sort of thing. You won't be interested." She had her mind on Malfoy, if he was going to be alright. She felt sad when she looked over at the empty seat over at the Slytherin table. 

"Try me, Hermione." Ron defended, setting down his knife and fork. Ginny rolled her eyes. Hermione shook her head and continued to eat absentmindedly, putting ketchup on the table, making a smiley face. 

"Ha! You think I'm not into all that homework stuff! You'll see, Hermione!" Ron told her. For the rest of dinner, Ron tried to make Hermione talk to him about homework stuff, while poor Neville sat making short conversations with Nearly Headless Nick. 

*

After dinner, Ron was still trying to make Hermione absorb him in homework subjects. At last, Hermione snapped. 

"Ron, I don't care if you're interested or not, okay?" She was on the verge of shouting and Harry knew it, as Ron, Hermione and himself strode back to the common room. Ron grinned evilly. 

"Nah, Hermione! You just don't want to tell me what you've been doing!" He clasped both hands on his waist. 

"You know, maybe I don't! Leave. Me. Alone!" She was shouting all this and a silence followed. Harry looked out one of the windows from the staircases. Wow, a full moon. It was pitch black outside and there was a patch of cloud shaped like a pumpkin floating alone. The silence followed all the way until they reached the common room and when Hermione went up to the girls' dormitory, did Ron dare open his mouth again. 

"I don't believe her! Telling us fibs about where she was!" He was clearly upset that Hermione snapped at him like that. Harry agreed vaguely. It was a good ten minutes filled with Ron's talk before they headed up to their dormitories and fell asleep. 

*

Harry woke up, trying to catch his breath. His scar was scorching with pain, as usual. He had had the dream that Voldemort was in the Dungeons, and Death Eaters were killing the Aurors. The sky was pitch black, with a pale, white, full moon perched in the sky, and there was this patch of cloud the shape of a pumpkin. 

"Pumpkin?" Harry said out loud, remembering that tonight, there was a patch of cloud the shape of a pumpkin. It was unlikely that Death Eaters were outside waiting, but his dream told him something. He felt for his glasses and scrambled out of bed to wake Ron. He pulled on his robes hastily and pocketed his wand. 

"Ron, Ron, wake up!" He whispered at Ron. A snore from Neville made Harry jump. 

"Hmm what?" Ron didn't open an eye. 

"Come on, Ron! I had this dream!" He muttered. It sounded pathetic really, big deal. He had a dream. But the thing was, his dreams were usually true. 

"And who are you?" Ron mumbled, groaning. 

"Come on, Ron! Quickly!" Harry exclaimed as Ron struggled out of bed. 

*

Harry and Ron now faced the stone gargoyle which stood outside Dumbledore's office. Ron's face was scrunched up with exasperation. 

"The password?" Harry asked Ron. Ron shrugged irritably. 

"How am I meant to know?" Harry had explained to Ron along the way about his dream and Ron seemed as worried as he was. They had tried everything from Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to Pumpkin juice, but the gargoyle never moved. 

"Hermione? Is that the password?" Ron spat. Harry looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow. The gargoyle refused to move an inch. 

"I give up!" Ron cried out angrily. They had been standing out there for at least 15 minutes, trying to figure out the right password. Harry looked up and down the dark and empty corridor. 

"Maybe we should try the staffroom?" He suggested. Ron drooped his shoulders. 

"Yeah, like they want to help us about some weird dream about a cloud in shape of a pumpkin." Ron shook his head at Harry. Harry sighed. 

"Boys?" A voice from behind startled them. Harry and Ron turned around and faced Professor Qupid in her dark robes and fluffy slippers. Her face was darker than usual and her hair was all tangled up. She wasn't a very pleasant sight. 

"Potter, Weasley! What are you doing out wandering around at this time?" She asked, her eyes half hidden in her thick eyebrows. 

"Ah…Well, we were just looking for Professor Dumbledore. We have something important to tell him," Harry quickly answered. 

"Of course I know that. Inner Eyes are not just used in Divination, you know," She snapped. 

"So, why are you telling Professor Dumbledore at this time of the night? Surely it could wait till morning?" Her dark features tightened. 

"No, Professor Qupid… I don't think it can." Harry said quickly. He was keen to just get into Dumbledore's office.

**Author's Note: What? You weren't expecting a Slytherin victory? Tell us what you think!**


End file.
